Lewis Hamilton was booed on the podium after a last-lap collision with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg handed the triple Formula One world champion a dramatic first Austrian Grand Prix victory today. 
 
Championship leader Rosberg, who had been in front with Hamilton in his slipstream, nursed his damaged car over the line for fourth place with his advantage cut to 11 points after nine of 21 rounds. 
 
&quot;I am gutted, it&rsquo;s unbelievable,&quot; said the German, accusing Hamilton of turning in and causing the accident that broke his front wing. 
 
Hamilton disagreed. 
 
&quot;I was on the outside, it wasn&#39;t me that had the crash,&quot; said the Briton, who now has three wins to Rosberg&#39;s five this season, over the team radio. 
 
The stewards appeared to back that up by opening an investigation into Rosberg&#39;s actions. 
 
The German was summoned to answer charges of causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car. 
 
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the collision as &quot;brainless&quot;, without singling out either of his drivers for blame. 
 
The team revealed Rosberg had suffered a problem with his brake-by-wire system which went into &quot;passive mode&quot; at the end of the penultimate lap as Hamilton closed in. 
 
The crowd, small in comparison to the previous two years with rows of empty seats in the grandstands, made their disapproval evident with whistles and boos as Hamilton was interviewed on the podium. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s not my problem, it&#39;s their problem,&quot; the surprised Briton, who started on pole, shrugged when asked about the noise. 
 
&quot;I left a lot of room on the inside and I guess he locked up and crashed into me. I think he had a problem with his brakes potentially. I&#39;m here to win. That&#39;s all.&quot; 
 
Dutch teenager Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull at their home track with Ferrari&#39;s Kimi Raikkonen third after teammate Sebastian Vettel crashed out on his 29th birthday when a rear tyre exploded. 
 
Hamilton&#39;s victory was the 250th in Formula One by a British driver since the championship started in 1950 and the 46th of his career. 
 
Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull with Britain&#39;s Jenson Button sixth for McLaren. 
 
Frenchman Romain Grosjean was seventh in a Haas ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz in a Toro Rosso and Finland&#39;s Valtteri Bottas for Williams. 
 
German rookie Pascal Wehrlein scored his first point in Formula One, and his Manor team&#39;s first of the season, with a remarkable 10th. 
 
(Reuters)

Nico Rosberg was summoned to answer charges of causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car

Lewis Hamilton was booed on the podium after a last-lap collision with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg handed the triple Formula One world champion a dramatic first Austrian Grand Prix victory today. Championship leader Rosberg, who had been in front with Hamilton in his slipstream, nursed his damaged car over the line for fourth place with his advantage cut to 11 points after nine of 21 rounds. "I am gutted, it’s unbelievable," said the German, accusing Hamilton of turning in and causing the accident that broke his front wing. Hamilton disagreed. "I was on the outside, it wasn't me that had the crash," said the Briton, who now has three wins to Rosberg's five this season, over the team radio. The stewards appeared to back that up by opening an investigation into Rosberg's actions. The German was summoned to answer charges of causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the collision as "brainless", without singling out either of his drivers for blame. The team revealed Rosberg had suffered a problem with his brake-by-wire system which went into "passive mode" at the end of the penultimate lap as Hamilton closed in. The crowd, small in comparison to the previous two years with rows of empty seats in the grandstands, made their disapproval evident with whistles and boos as Hamilton was interviewed on the podium. "That's not my problem, it's their problem," the surprised Briton, who started on pole, shrugged when asked about the noise. "I left a lot of room on the inside and I guess he locked up and crashed into me. I think he had a problem with his brakes potentially. I'm here to win. That's all." Dutch teenager Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull at their home track with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen third after teammate Sebastian Vettel crashed out on his 29th birthday when a rear tyre exploded. Hamilton's victory was the 250th in Formula One by a British driver since the championship started in 1950 and the 46th of his career. Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull with Britain's Jenson Button sixth for McLaren. Frenchman Romain Grosjean was seventh in a Haas ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz in a Toro Rosso and Finland's Valtteri Bottas for Williams. German rookie Pascal Wehrlein scored his first point in Formula One, and his Manor team's first of the season, with a remarkable 10th. (Reuters)

Lewis Hamilton booed after dramatic Austrian victory

Australia&#39;s Bernard Tomic thinks he is playing some of the best grasscourt tennis of his career, and is in a good place off the court, as he heads into the Wimbledon championships main draw for the seventh time. 
 
The 23-year-old&#39;s campaign at the All England Club ended in the third round last year and was followed by a very public and bitter row with Tennis Australia over what he said was their lack of backing for him. 
 
Since then, there have been rows over his suitability to be part of Australia&#39;s Olympic team, which he defused by withdrawing his name from consideration, and the now traditional woes of his claycourt season. 
 
After a second-round departure at the French Open that surprised few given his dislike of the Roland Garros surface, however, Tomic has rediscovered his form on grass at &#39;s-Hertogenbosch and Queen&#39;s Club. 
 
&quot;I&#39;d say probably it&#39;s the best it&#39;s been leading into Wimbledon,&quot; the 19th seed told Australia&#39;s Fox Sports TV. 
 
&quot;I managed to play two grasscourt tournaments, played really well, making the quarters in the Netherlands and the semis at Queen&#39;s.&nbsp;I feel like I&#39;m playing some of my best tennis on grass and now we&#39;re here at the famous Wimbledon tournament and I&#39;m ready to go.&quot; 
 
Tomic made his grand slam breakthrough when he reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals as a qualifier in 2011, and it remains his favourite of the sport&#39;s four majors. 
 
&quot;It was a huge moment for my career that turned everything around and I always look back on that leading into any grasscourt tournament,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I take back that memory and I&#39;m always in a position to play my best tennis on grass. On grass, I always seem to be intense and on my feet and I always seem to play really well.&quot; 
 
Lapses of concentration and intensity have been a problem for Tomic throughout a career that promised so much when he won two junior grand slam titles. 
 
Allegations of giving up, or tanking, have dogged him in recent years and reached fever pitch when he faced match point at the Madrid Open in May with his racket upside down. 
 
He knows, however, that he will have to be on his toes for his first round match against tricky Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco, who he beat at Queen&#39;s Club to take a 4-1 lead in their career head-to-head. 
 
&quot;Last week was an incredible match,&quot; Tomic said. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s going to come out swinging, doing some different things, he knows he&#39;s down in the record against me but that&#39;s not going to stop him playing well.&quot; 
 
Off court, the presence of Lleyton Hewitt in London should also ensure no repeat of the rows with Tennis Australia. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m happy now, I&#39;ve got a good team around me, and I&#39;m at my favourite tournament as well,&quot; he added. 
 
(Reuters)

After a second-round departure at the French Open, Bernard Tomic rediscovered his form on grass at 's-Hertogenbosch and Queen's Club

Australia's Bernard Tomic thinks he is playing some of the best grasscourt tennis of his career, and is in a good place off the court, as he heads into the Wimbledon championships main draw for the seventh time. The 23-year-old's campaign at the All England Club ended in the third round last year and was followed by a very public and bitter row with Tennis Australia over what he said was their lack of backing for him. Since then, there have been rows over his suitability to be part of Australia's Olympic team, which he defused by withdrawing his name from consideration, and the now traditional woes of his claycourt season. After a second-round departure at the French Open that surprised few given his dislike of the Roland Garros surface, however, Tomic has rediscovered his form on grass at 's-Hertogenbosch and Queen's Club. "I'd say probably it's the best it's been leading into Wimbledon," the 19th seed told Australia's Fox Sports TV. "I managed to play two grasscourt tournaments, played really well, making the quarters in the Netherlands and the semis at Queen's. I feel like I'm playing some of my best tennis on grass and now we're here at the famous Wimbledon tournament and I'm ready to go." Tomic made his grand slam breakthrough when he reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals as a qualifier in 2011, and it remains his favourite of the sport's four majors. "It was a huge moment for my career that turned everything around and I always look back on that leading into any grasscourt tournament," he said. "I take back that memory and I'm always in a position to play my best tennis on grass. On grass, I always seem to be intense and on my feet and I always seem to play really well." Lapses of concentration and intensity have been a problem for Tomic throughout a career that promised so much when he won two junior grand slam titles. Allegations of giving up, or tanking, have dogged him in recent years and reached fever pitch when he faced match point at the Madrid Open in May with his racket upside down. He knows, however, that he will have to be on his toes for his first round match against tricky Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco, who he beat at Queen's Club to take a 4-1 lead in their career head-to-head. "Last week was an incredible match," Tomic said. "He's going to come out swinging, doing some different things, he knows he's down in the record against me but that's not going to stop him playing well." Off court, the presence of Lleyton Hewitt in London should also ensure no repeat of the rows with Tennis Australia. "I'm happy now, I've got a good team around me, and I'm at my favourite tournament as well," he added. (Reuters)

All England grass a tonic for Tomic

Excitement was building today as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked to complete the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history by dethroning defending champion Golden State in a winner-take-all title showdown. 
 
Trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Cavaliers downed the Warriors twice behind 41-point efforts from James to level the best-of-seven series and force a one-game spectacle to decide the crown - just like the NFL Super Bowl five months ago in nearby Santa Clara. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s pretty cool,&quot; James said. &quot;It&#39;s like Super Bowl Sunday. It&#39;s one game and you look forward to it. I&#39;m happy I&#39;m able just to be part of it.&quot; 
 
Golden State won a record 73 regular-season games with NBA scoring leader Stephen Curry making a one-campaign record 402 3-pointers and taking the NBA Most Valuable Player award. 
 
But the Warriors could suffer the worst choke in championship history. 
 
&quot;If you don&#39;t feel pressure in a game seven, you&#39;re probably not human,&quot; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &quot;We are human, so when you go from up 3-1 to 3-3, it&#39;s disappointing. But you take stock. We like our chances.&quot; 
 
Curry admits the season will be a failure without a title. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve had two chances already and haven&#39;t gotten it done,&quot; Curry said. &quot;So if we come up short, we&#39;ll all be very, very disappointed. No two ways around that.&quot; 
 
Tickets near $50k&nbsp; 
 
With James and Curry the league&#39;s brightest stars, it was no wonder that the game was luring global attention and ticket resale prices were breaking records, nearing $50,000 each for courtside seats. 
 
&quot;Having a chance to play against a great team in game seven and for the whole world to be watching, I&#39;m very excited for it,&quot; said&nbsp;Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving. 
 
Cleveland fans have not celebrated a major team sports title since the 1964 Browns won the NFL crown in the pre-Super Bowl era, but the Cavaliers are on the verge of ending the epic drought. 
 
&quot;I know it&#39;s going to be going crazy in Cleveland, so hopefully we can stay the course and bring them a championship home,&quot; Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. &quot;We know it&#39;s a big stage, but our guys are ready for the challenge.&quot; 
 
None more so than James, whose outstanding performances have included slam dunks, pinpoint passes, crucial rebounds, timely steals and ferocious blocked shots. 
 
&quot;To lead the finals in every statistical category, it&#39;s amazing. I try not to get star-struck with watching,&quot; said Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith. 
 
&quot;Scoring-wise, he&#39;s more aggressive more than anything. He just has that relentless effort to get to the basket. And he&#39;s an unbelievable passer. Being that big, strong and fast and to be able to see the court the way he does, it&#39;s remarkable.&quot; 
 
No limits on LeBron&nbsp; 
 
Could James strike for 41 points again? 
 
&quot;I wouldn&#39;t put a cap or a number on his performance,&quot; Cavs forward Tristan Thompson said. &quot;He&#39;s a great playmaker.&quot; 
 
The Warriors plan to get physical with James early and often. 
 
&quot;Put a body on him,&quot; said Warriors forward Draymond Green. &quot;He has to feel us from the jump. Can&#39;t let him get into rhythm.&quot; 
 
The Warriors have lost Australian centre Andrew Bogut to a knee injury and top reserve Andre Iguodala, last year&#39;s NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, had severe back pain in game six. 
 
Golden State has not lost three games in a row since 2013, but they have struggled in long stretches the past two games, never leading in game six. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re a resilient team that&#39;s ready for this opportunity. That&#39;s why I&#39;m confident,&quot; Curry said. &quot;I don&#39;t know why we haven&#39;t been ourselves. I couldn&#39;t tell you the reason we&#39;ve been lacking besides it&#39;s just a long, hard grind to win a championship.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Cleveland fans have not celebrated a major team sports title since the 1964 Browns won the NFL crown in the pre-Super Bowl era

Excitement was building today as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers looked to complete the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history by dethroning defending champion Golden State in a winner-take-all title showdown. Trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Cavaliers downed the Warriors twice behind 41-point efforts from James to level the best-of-seven series and force a one-game spectacle to decide the crown - just like the NFL Super Bowl five months ago in nearby Santa Clara. "It's pretty cool," James said. "It's like Super Bowl Sunday. It's one game and you look forward to it. I'm happy I'm able just to be part of it." Golden State won a record 73 regular-season games with NBA scoring leader Stephen Curry making a one-campaign record 402 3-pointers and taking the NBA Most Valuable Player award. But the Warriors could suffer the worst choke in championship history. "If you don't feel pressure in a game seven, you're probably not human," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We are human, so when you go from up 3-1 to 3-3, it's disappointing. But you take stock. We like our chances." Curry admits the season will be a failure without a title. "We've had two chances already and haven't gotten it done," Curry said. "So if we come up short, we'll all be very, very disappointed. No two ways around that." Tickets near $50k With James and Curry the league's brightest stars, it was no wonder that the game was luring global attention and ticket resale prices were breaking records, nearing $50,000 each for courtside seats. "Having a chance to play against a great team in game seven and for the whole world to be watching, I'm very excited for it," said Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving. Cleveland fans have not celebrated a major team sports title since the 1964 Browns won the NFL crown in the pre-Super Bowl era, but the Cavaliers are on the verge of ending the epic drought. "I know it's going to be going crazy in Cleveland, so hopefully we can stay the course and bring them a championship home," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. "We know it's a big stage, but our guys are ready for the challenge." None more so than James, whose outstanding performances have included slam dunks, pinpoint passes, crucial rebounds, timely steals and ferocious blocked shots. "To lead the finals in every statistical category, it's amazing. I try not to get star-struck with watching," said Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith. "Scoring-wise, he's more aggressive more than anything. He just has that relentless effort to get to the basket. And he's an unbelievable passer. Being that big, strong and fast and to be able to see the court the way he does, it's remarkable." No limits on LeBron Could James strike for 41 points again? "I wouldn't put a cap or a number on his performance," Cavs forward Tristan Thompson said. "He's a great playmaker." The Warriors plan to get physical with James early and often. "Put a body on him," said Warriors forward Draymond Green. "He has to feel us from the jump. Can't let him get into rhythm." The Warriors have lost Australian centre Andrew Bogut to a knee injury and top reserve Andre Iguodala, last year's NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, had severe back pain in game six. Golden State has not lost three games in a row since 2013, but they have struggled in long stretches the past two games, never leading in game six. "We're a resilient team that's ready for this opportunity. That's why I'm confident," Curry said. "I don't know why we haven't been ourselves. I couldn't tell you the reason we've been lacking besides it's just a long, hard grind to win a championship." (AFP)

LeBron, Cavaliers try to complete epic comeback over Warriors in winner-take-all Game 7

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